Running Form and Technique

When I was in high school we were taught to have a long stride and to roll the foot from heel to toe. My eye twitches as I think about how inefficient I was and am thankful for the increase in studies and education runners are benefiting from today. When my daughter first started to run she was naturally good at long distance races and had a long stride with a roll from heel to toe. This is how you run when you have on shoes that promote a walking technique when running. 

During the same year I started learning about mid-foot running and my daughter quickly started to adapt her stride as we talked and practiced together. It doesn't come automatically for most people and it didn't for us either. It took about a year of habit forming before she would run the right way without thinking about it. The main point is that you can learn to run a different way. Some argue that you can't change your natural stride but anyone who has put effort into this knows from experience your stride CAN be changed.

In the spirit of keeping these posts simple and easy to read I'll provide a quick summary and then link you to the two best overviews I've found on the web. 

1. For starters, you need to get your child into shoes that promote the right stride. Take a look at my postings about running shoes to see more detail and suggested brands.
2. Make sure your runner has a slightly forward lean when running. Their chest should be over their toes. 
3. Arms need to swing on the side of their body rather than coming across their chest. Also, arms need to pump backward which helps create more power and speed. 
4. When the foot hits the ground it should be on the mid-foot or ball of the foot. As runners try to get the hang of this they sometimes over-compensate and run on their toes. This can cause shin splints or stressed arches so don't go to end of the spectrum and expect better results. 
5. Rather than running 80 longer strides it is better to run 180 shorter strides. You will see articles that refer to this as "cadence", meaning how many rotations your leg has made in a minute. Shorter strides naturally promote a mid-foot strike as well as less impact on your legs. Less impact means less risk for injury.

We have found that proper form will help you run faster, but there are runners who are just as fast with improper form. To us the greatest benefit of proper running is less injury. If your child has less risk of injury they can train harder and more consistently, which in the end will help them reach their potential and find success.

More Detail and Resources

Learn to Run Diagram - Altra

Good Running Form Video - New Balance